The final recommendation is selected from this range of flows on the 

 basis of the stream resource rating. The critical component of this rating is 

 the fish population data. A marginal or poor fishery would likely justify a 

 flow recommendation at or near the lower inflection point unless other 

 considerations, such as the presence of species of special concern, warrant a 

 higher flow. In general, only streams with exceptional resident fish popu- 

 lations or those providing crucial spawning and/or rearing habitats for 

 migratory populations would be considered for a recommendation at or near the 

 upper inflection point. 



Because German Gulch supports exceptionally high numbers of genetically 

 pure westslope cutthroat trout, a species of special concern in Montana, the 

 flow at the uppermost inflection point on the wetted perimeter-flow curve is 

 recommended for the period of June 16 through May 15. 



For the high flow or snow runoff period of May 16 through June 15, the 

 dominant discharge/channel morphology concept (Montana Department of Fish and 

 Game 1979) was used to derive instream flow recommendations. The high flow 

 recommendations are intended to flush the annual accumulation of bottom 

 sediments and to maintain the existing channel morphology. 



Recommendations were derived for two sites on German Gulch as described 

 in the following sections. 



German Gulch - Below Beefstraight Creek. 



Cross-sectional measurements for use in the wetted perimeter/inflection 

 point method were made in a 96-ft section of German Gulch (SW, NW, NE, Sec. 

 26, T3N, R10W) located downstream from the confluence of Beefstraight Creek 

 (Figure 1). Five riffle cross-sections were established in this section. 



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